Chapter 74 - The One Who Witnesses All
Muramasa, kneeling on the ground, trembled violently.
He couldn't believe that Kennō's simple command, "Kneel," actually forced him to his knees.
It was as if those two words carried an irresistible power, leaving him unable even to think of refusing.
As he reflected on it, the phrase "the king's command is absolute" suddenly echoed in his mind.
Silently pondering this phrase, Muramasa tried to stand up and found no resistance.
This puzzled Muramasa for a moment.
But without hesitation, Muramasa stood up. After all, he wasn't accustomed to talking to people while kneeling.
Once standing, Muramasa looked at Kennō and Gilgamesh with a grim expression, saying, "Although I don't know why you weren't brainwashed by me or what your ability is."
"But for Zanpakutōs like us to use our abilities, certain conditions must be met."
"So, what condition do you need to fulfill?"
"Sight, sound, spiritual pressure, or mind..."
As Muramasa speculated, he closely watched the expressions of Kennō and Gilgamesh, hoping to find a clue.
However, Muramasa was disappointed.
He couldn't find any flaws in the similar faces of Kennō and Gilgamesh.
Instead, all he saw was calm and confidence.
This made Muramasa feel both irritated and uneasy.
Without further delay, Muramasa once again turned himself into nothingness, intending to retreat and reconsider his plans.
To avoid being affected by Kennō's power again, Muramasa tightly shut his eyes and sealed his mind.
Thinking this wasn't enough, he used his long nails to pierce his eardrums, letting pain and blood flow, completely cutting off any possibility of hearing sound.
Muramasa was ruthless to himself because he believed sound was the most likely condition needed to trigger Kennō's power.
Yoruichi couldn't help but admire Muramasa's ruthlessness and decisiveness.
If most people thought sound was the condition, they might try to block it by covering their ears, not destroying their eardrums.
After all, damaging the eardrums could cause permanent damage, possibly leading to lifelong deafness if severe.
Yoruichi had always suspected that sound was the condition for Kennō's power but had never been sure.
This time she could confirm it.
Gilgamesh showed a hint of admiration for Muramasa's decision.
While Kōga Kuchiki might not have been much, his Zanpakutō was indeed impressive.
Kennō also showed a trace of admiration.
As the King of Zanpakutō, he was pleased to have such a capable subject under his command.
However...
As Muramasa's form began to fade, Kennō spoke again, his voice filled with divine command, "Kneel."
Thud!
Without hesitation, the moment the command was issued, Muramasa fell to his knees.
Muramasa's pupils quivered, and his face showed shock.
He had clearly destroyed his eardrums and shouldn't have heard anything, so why could he still hear Kennō's command?
Yoruichi was also stunned.
She watched this scene, her pupils trembling.
If sound was the condition for Kennō's power, it shouldn't have worked on Muramasa.
Muramasa stood up again, realizing he couldn't retreat unless Kennō allowed it or he figured out the condition for the power.
Clearly, neither was possible.
So Muramasa stopped thinking about retreating.
He was now focused on solving his confusion.
Muramasa's face darkened as he looked at Gilgamesh and asked, "Who are you?"
As Muramasa watched, Gilgamesh's lips moved, but he couldn't hear anything.
Muramasa remembered his eardrums were destroyed and couldn't hear anything, his face darkening further.
However, Muramasa knew some lip reading, and Gilgamesh deliberately made it clear.
From Gilgamesh's lip movements, Muramasa pieced together, "You can use the Hollow's high-speed regeneration to repair your eardrums."
Muramasa was confused by Gilgamesh's words.
He was a Zanpakutō, how could he use the Hollow's high-speed regeneration?
Gilgamesh frowned slightly at Muramasa's confusion.
Kennō spoke, his voice filled with divine command, "High-speed regeneration."
Kennō's voice echoed in Muramasa's mind.
Before Muramasa could react, he felt the Hollow's essence in him become active. The pain from his damaged eardrums disappeared, and he could hear the sounds of insects and birds around him.
This realization left Muramasa incredulous.
Gilgamesh's voice followed, "You've consumed so many Hollows, didn't you realize you had gained some of their abilities?"
Muramasa was stunned, finally understanding Gilgamesh's words.
But more questions filled his mind.
'How does he know I've consumed Hollows?'
'How does he know I have Hollow abilities, even when I didn't realize it?'
'Why can his Zanpakutō control Hollow abilities too?'
With the illumination from the Omniscient Star, Gilgamesh had seen through Muramasa's thoughts, knowing he was shaken—an excellent start for subjugation.
With a joyful smile, Gilgamesh spoke, "I am Gilgamesh, the oldest Hero King of humanity."
"My life is divided into three stages by later generations: childhood, tyrant, and wise king."
"My current form is from my childhood, while my Zanpakutō, Kennō, takes the form of my wise king period."
Gilgamesh then looked at Muramasa and asked, "Do you know how later generations evaluated me during my wise king period?"
Muramasa didn't understand Gilgamesh's words.
He didn't know who Gilgamesh was or anything about the oldest Hero King of humanity.
So he had no reaction to Gilgamesh's words.
But Yoruichi was different. Hearing Gilgamesh's words, a phrase instantly came to her mind, and she blurted it out.
"Returning from the quest for immortality, the Supreme Wise King."
"Legends call him 'The One Who Witnesses All.'"
Gilgamesh replied, "Legends may exaggerate, but they are rooted in reality."
"While I may not witness everything in this world, I have witnessed everything about you."
"Everything you think and feel is within my sight."
Boom
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